A new weekly paper, a fresh new design and a new publisher at the helm leading the Richmond News into the future.
Alvin Chow has taken over the role from Pierre Pelletier who, after three successful years at the top, decided to pick up sticks and tour the U.S. in his trailer with his wife and dog.
Chow — who’s also the vice-president of national sales for Western Canada for the News’ parent company Glacier Media — said his new position is a “tremendous and exciting challenge.”
And the 50-year-old intends to tap into his wealth of national sales expertise and years of working with hundreds of publications, large and small, across Canada.
“I want us to produce a product that fits the needs of our fast-changing community,” said Chow, a runner and golfer, who’s married with two children, a boy, 21, and a girl, 19.
“Gone are the days we just sell advertising space. We are selling ideas, solutions, innovation and creativity, and I’m excited about bringing that to the Richmond community.
“It’s important to note that we print once a week, but we publish any time of the day (online).”
Born in Hong Kong, Chow came to Canada in the 1980s as an international student.
A few weeks after landing, he moved to Edmonton, where he would finish his high school years, prior to completing two degrees — a B.A. in economics and sociology at Western University in London, ON and then a B. Comm. in marketing at University of Alberta.
Not long after graduating, Chow was bitten by the media bug.
“In 1993, I started in the newspaper business; it was a community newspaper in Edmonton, the Edmonton Etc. (published by the Edmonton Journal),” recalled Chow.
“So I understand how important it is to get involved. It’s about connecting with the people; that was built into me at an early stage.”
In 2003, as account manager for 100 titles with CanWest, Chow got to understand business models with different needs from publications in little prairie towns to big cities.
He was also sales director for Postmedia, en route to joining Glacier Media in 2016.
Pointing towards the demographics of Richmond, where people of Chinese ethnicity now make up the majority, Chow said the News has an important role to play in building bridges.
“People in this community, they like to read, whether it’s a Chinese-language newspaper or the Richmond News,” said Chow.
“The way I look at it, our product could be an educational resource for the first generation of immigrants where, perhaps, there is a language barrier, but they have good reading habits.
“The younger generation maybe doesn’t read the hard copy too much, but I believe they still have good reading habits on their devices and that’s also where I see an opportunity to grow.
“English is still key and we can provide that as the base. If we provide reliable sources and credible stories, I would like to think families could think of us as a trustworthy benchmark.”
And if you’re a runner in Richmond, there’s a good chance you’ll bump into him — or be passed by him — every Saturday in the free, 5K Olympic Parkrun along the Middle Arm Dyke.
When he doesn’t have his running shoes on, Chow will be out in the community as much as possible, such as last week at the annual Mayor’s Luncheon.
“I want to get a feel for what people are looking for. This community is growing and we have to grow with it.”
